DTC officers told to travel in bus once a wk, submit feedback

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday directed all group A and B officers of the DTC and the Transport Department to compulsorily travel in a bus at least once a week and submit feedback on its condition and behaviuor of the staff.

In a circular, the Transport Department said there are over 7,000 buses operated by it and low floor electric buses are also being added to the fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Cluster buses.

The circular issued also includes a feedback mechanism by which the officers concerned have to fill in a proforma on various parameters on the quality of service.

Through this initiative, the Delhi government also aims to spread the message that shifting to sustainable public transport is a lifestyle change for betterment of the health of citizens and the environment, an official statement said.

All the officers have been directed to submit their feedback on buses and public transportation on certain parameters like general cleanliness and maintenance of buses, availability of marshals in the bus, behaviour of driver and conductor, observing of bus lane discipline by the driver, stopping of bus at designated bus stop, issue of over speeding/dangerous driving/overtaking by the driver and bus availability on time.

"From Boardrooms to Buses! There is no way to constantly improve than from the feedback we give ourselves. All Group A & B officers of DTC & Transport dept will now compulsorily take a trip once a week to lead the switch to public transport and ensure quality of service," Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said in a tweet.

"Delhi's fleet has now crossed 7,200 buses. This is the highest increase in the history of Delhi, there were never so many buses on the roads of Delhi till date. We aim to transform Delhi's bus fleet into an all electric fleet and are trying our best to induct only electric buses," Kejriwal had said.

In a statement, Gahlot said the new initiative would help set up a regular feedback mechanism.

When it comes to improving the public transportation of Delhi, we want to walk the talk. Our officers are excited and committed to develop a world class public transportation infrastructure and participation of the public in the process is crucial. With transport and DTC officials frequently travelling in our public buses, we would be able to set up a regular feedback mechanism to improve our services.